Folding plow anchor



May 16, 1950 w, s, FARREN 2,507,563

FOLDING PLOW ANCHOR Filed April 13, 1947 IHH mii W39 l WILLIAM 5. HRREN lnvsu-ron Patented May 16, 1950 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE Application August 13, 1947, Serial No. 768,316 In Great Britain August 19, 1946 6 Claims.

invention relates to 21116119 1 Of the kind comprising a fluke in the general term of double-bladed ploughshare symmetrical about eentral ridge formed by the junction of the two blades and sloping downwardly towards poi t. Anchors of this kind are described in Pa te 1 1t No. 1,974,933, issued September 25, .1934..- 7111 anchors of this kind may be provided Wit a shel pivotally attached to the fluke for relativeswinging movements about an axis which lies in the plane of symmetry and intersects the ridge in the re ion of the point. ma camprise two rigid portions, where f one s ri idly fixed to the duke or forms part thereof and extends outwardly from the central ridge in the plane of symmetry and the ot er is adap ed to extend forwardly of the duke and is p vetally attached to the rigid portion for .relative syring ins movem nts a out an axis as afore aid- Anchors of the above kind are -.p ticular y suited. for use on .compsratiy y mall boat in which they are stored on deck when not in use. When stored in this way, however, they are apt to form an obstruction on the deck and they have the additional disadvantage that by virtue of their shape there is considerableriskiof ropes getting caught around the projections .of the anchor. It is an object of the present invention so to improve anchors of the -.above kind that whenstoredthey will form less of an obstruction and there will .be a reducedrrisk-of ropes or other gear being caught on the projections Iof the anchors.

The invention provides an anchor of the kind described in which one or'each bladeof the fluke is constructed in two .parts arranged for relative hinging movement whereby ,the blade or blades may be ioldedto reduce the height of the fluke when stored on its side.

In the preferred form of the present invention, the :blade or .each blade isid-ivided along a line parallel to the central ridge, 1. e. when the blade is of cylindrical form along a line parallel to the axis of the cylinder of which the blade lor-msa part. Preferablythe positionof the dividing line of the blades when folded, means may be in cluded in the anchor for fairing any gap there may be between the folde Part of the blade and the fixed part.

A specific embodiment of an anchor incorporating the -a,b ove and other features of the in- .vention will now be described b Way of example and with reference to the drawings accompanying the provisional spfiqification;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the leisure s a .unde ma 9 t a ch r,

Figure .3 i a rea view of t e a hor l ing n its side,

Fi u e 4 is a Vi w corre pond n to .Eisi e 3 bu showins the blad s i t folded msitiq and F ur 5 is apl vi w o t anch r a shown in Figure 4. v I

The anchor rorming the subject of this example has the general shape of that forming the su i c a ent specific tio 1.974.9 and .011-

l" crates inthe manner described n that speq fiqation. Each blade 1 of theyfiuke isd-iyidedalong .a line .12 which is parallel to the ridge 3 ,of the fluke and is also parallel to the axis ,of thccylin-e .der of which the blade forms apart. llhehinged portions of .each blade is provided with spaced lugs pivotally supported on hinge pins :6 which are themselves supported ,by lugs l on a plate a extending between and secured to the fixed por- .tions '9 of the blades.

The nose or point of the fluke is weighted by a ea fi et it secur s wt hin the duk a d 1 :1 ins :thespac bet een t e bla s- .filet i v ded into t re p rt ns :o w c lone i pe .ma nt y s ured b w e t e fix d o tion 19 th blad sa i po n o he duk .o irhieh t e ot e wo i and l? are s u d to esinctr 6 r- ,1 WQL JQF T 5, th {H and 2 th lsapib n the fixe matah e po nthe blad s es endins betwesn immovab f he in. s-,; ea the rea e ds ther a aro e-stay l3 attached to brackets is on the inside of the blades. The stay is in the form of a bar bent at right-angles at its two ends, the bent nortions passing through holes in the brackets is from the front side towards the rear faces of the brackets. At one end of the stay there is permanently fixed a knob or enlargement l5 and 3 at the other end of the stay there is a hole I6 through which a cotter pin may be passed to lock the stay in position. Any other suitable method of locking the stay may be employed if desired.

When it is desired to fold the anchor the cotter pin or other locking means for the stay [3 are released and the corresponding end of the stay is disengaged from the associated bracket I4. The bent portion at the other end of the stay is then threaded through the corresponding bracket i l to bring the length of the stay parallel to the ridge of the fluke. The two folding portions of the blades are then brought together into the position shown in Figure 4.

The position of. the dividing lines 2 in the width of the blades and the position of the hinges are of importance. These positions are preferably so chosen that, as shown in Figure 4, when the anchor is folded the tips of the abutments IT on the shank, the edges l8 of the fixed portions of the blades, the edges i9 and the tips 20 of the folding portions of the blades all lie in substantially the same planes so that the height of the anchor nowhere exceeds that of the abutments ll below which is cannot be reduced.

The invention is not restricted to the precise constructional details described in the above example and illustrated in the drawings. For instance, the cross-stay i3 is not necessarily in the form of a rigid bar as described but may be divided in its length and provided with a toggle joint to hold it in the extended position.

I claim:

1. A fOldil'lg plough anchor comprising a pair of blades extending on either side of a plane, said blades coming together in a ridge in said plane and sloping away from each other in the form of a double-bladed ploughshare, each of said blades comprising two parts which have adjacent edges when the anchor is unfolded for use, and hinge means connecting said parts of each blade for relative swinging movement about an axis generally parallel to said plane, whereby the height of the anchor is reduced by folding the blades when the anchor is stored on its side.

2. A folding plough anchor comprising a pair of blades extending symmetrically on either side of a plane, said blades coming together in a ridge in said plane and sloping away from each other in the form of a double-bladed ploughshare, each of said blades comprising a fixed portion rigidly connected to the fixed portion of the other blade and an outer hinged portion forming an extension of the fixed portion when the anchor is unfolded, and hinge means connected between the two portions of each blade with the hinge axis spaced from the blade toward said plane and extendin generally parallel to said plane, whereby the height of the anchor is reduced by folding the hinged blade portions in the direction of the plane when the anchor is stored on its side.

3. A folding plough anchor comprising a pair of blades extending on either side of a plane, said blades coming together in a ridge in said plane and sloping away from each other in the form of a double-bladed ploughshare, each of said blades comprising two blade portions with adjacent edges extending generally parallel to said plane when the anchor is unfolded for use, hinge means connecting said blade portions for relative swinging movement, and a brace secured between the respective outer hinged portions of the blades and. detachable from at least one of said parts, whereby the height of the anchor is reduced by detaching at least one end of the brace and folding the blades while the anchor is stored on its side.

4. A folding plough anchor comprising a pair of blades extending on either side of a plane, said blades coming together in a ridge in said plane and sloping away from each other in the form of a double-bladed ploughshare, each of said blades comprising a fixed portion rigidly connected to the fixed portion of the other blade and an outer hinged portion forming an extension of the fixed portion when the anchor is unfolded, a detachable brace connected between the hinged blade portions for holding them in extended position, and hinge means connected between the two portions of each blade with the hinge axis spaced from the blade toward said plane and extending generally parallel to said plane, whereby the height of the anchor is reduced by detaching at least one end of the brace and folding the hinged blade portions in the direction of the plane when the anchor is stored on its side.

5. A folding plough anchor comprising a pair of blades extending on either side of a plane, said blades coming together in a ridge in said plane and sloping away from each other in the form of a double-bladed ploughshare, each of said blades being in two parts, hinge means connected between said parts of each blade with the hinge axis offset from the junction of said parts, and a member extending from one of said parts of each blade across one end of the hinge gap to the other part of the blade while the anchor is folded, thereby minimizing the risk of ropes fouling in the open hinge gaps while the blades are folded.

6. A folding plough anchor comprising a pair of blades extending on either side of a plane, said blades coming together in a ridge in said plane and sloping away from each other in the form of a double-bladed ploughshare, each of said blades comprising a fixed portion rigidly connected to the fixed portion of the other blade and an outer hinged portion forming an extension of the fixed portion when the anchor is unfolded, hinge means connected between the two portions of each blade with the hinge axis spaced from the blade toward said plane and extendin generally parallel to said plane, and a member extending from the hinged portion of each blade toward and against part of the fixed portion of the same blade while the blade is folded, whereby the blades are foldable to reduce the height of the anchor while it is stored on its side and the members across the hinge gaps minimize the risk of ropes from fouling in the hinge gaps of the folded blades.

WILLIAM SCOTT FARREN.

No references cited.

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,507,563 May 16, 1950 WILLIAM SCOTT FARREN It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

In the heading to the drawing, line 3, for the filing date April 13, 1947 read August 13, 1947 and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 26th day of December, A. D. 1950.

[SEAL] THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

